U.S. patent number 7,508,173 [Application Number 11/297,755] was granted by the patent office on 2009-03-24 for system and method for providing reactive power support with distributed energy resource inverter.
This patent grant is currently assigned to General Electric Company. Invention is credited to Michael Richard Durling, William James Premerlani, Joseph Lucian Smolenski, Rui Zhou.
United States Patent |
7,508,173 |
Zhou , et al. |
March 24, 2009 |
System and method for providing reactive power support with
distributed energy resource inverter
Abstract
A reactive power compensation system includes a distributed
energy resource situated at a local location configured to also
receive power from a remote location by a distribution feeder line.
The distributed energy resource includes an inverter including
power semiconductor switching devices and an inverter controller
configured for controlling the power semiconductor switching
devices so as to provide reactive power support to the distribution
feeder line.
Inventors: |
Zhou; Rui (Clifton Park,
NY), Smolenski; Joseph Lucian (Slingerlands, NY),
Durling; Michael Richard (Moreau, NY), Premerlani; William
James (Scotia, NY) |
Assignee: |
General Electric Company
(Niskayuna, NY)
|
Family
ID: |
38140479 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/297,755 |
Filed: |
December 8, 2005 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20070135970 A1 |
Jun 14, 2007 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
323/207;
323/205 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H02J
3/381 (20130101); H02J 3/386 (20130101); H02J
3/1835 (20130101); H02J 3/32 (20130101); H02J
3/383 (20130101); H02J 2300/24 (20200101); Y02E
10/56 (20130101); Y02E 10/563 (20130101); Y02E
10/566 (20130101); Y02E 70/30 (20130101); Y02E
40/30 (20130101); Y02E 10/763 (20130101); H02J
2300/28 (20200101); Y02E 10/76 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G05F
1/70 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;323/205,207
;363/95,97,131 ;307/12,16,30,31,35,38,39 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Nguyen; Matthew V
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Agosti; Ann M.
Claims
The invention claimed is:
1. A reactive power compensation system comprising: a distributed
energy resource situated at a local location, the local location
being configured to also receive power from a remote location by a
distribution feeder line, the distributed energy resource
comprising an inverter; wherein the inverter comprises power
semiconductor switching devices and an inverter controller
configured for controlling the power semiconductor switching
devices so as to provide reactive power support to the distribution
feeder line; and a distribution management system configured for
providing a reactive power command and a communication link
configured for providing the reactive power command to the inverter
such that reactive power is adjusted in a predetermined manner to
maintain voltage stability associated with the distribution feeder
line.
2. The compensation system of claim 1 wherein the inverter further
comprises a sensor configured for sensing voltage on the feeder
line, and wherein the inverter controller is further configured for
using the sensed voltage to calculate an inverter output voltage
adjustment designed to provide the reactive power support.
3. The compensation system of claim 1 wherein the distributed
energy resource comprises a plurality of distributed energy
resources, and wherein the distribution management system is
configured for providing a plurality of respective reactive power
commands.
4. The compensation system of claim 3 wherein the communication
link comprises a unidirectional communication link.
5. The compensation system of claim 3 wherein the distribution
management system is further configured for establishing the
plurality of reactive power commands.
6. The compensation system of claim 5 wherein the communication
link comprises a bi-directional communication link.
7. The compensation system of claim 6 wherein the inverters each
are configured to supply an operational status signal to the
distribution management system.
8. The compensation system of claim 7 wherein the distribution
management system is further configured for using the operational
status signals to establish the plurality of reactive power
commands.
9. The compensation system of claim 1 wherein the compensation
system is further configured with a processor for: using
instantaneous feeder line voltage and phase angle measurements to
obtain a voltage phasor magnitude and an estimated voltage phase;
dividing the reactive power command by the voltage phasor magnitude
to obtain a reactive current command; dividing a real power command
by the voltage phasor magnitude to obtain a real current command;
calculating an inverter current magnitude command from the reactive
current command and the real current command; calculating an
estimated current phase from the reactive current command and the
real current command; adding the estimated current phase to the
estimated voltage phase to obtain an inverter current phase angle
command.
10. The compensation system of claim 9 wherein the inverter
controller comprises the processor.
11. The compensation system of claim 9 wherein the processor is
situated outside of the inverter.
12. The compensation system of claim 9 further comprising a
distribution management system configured for providing a reactive
power command and a communication link configured for providing the
reactive power command to the inverter, and wherein the processor
is further configured for using a power distribution system
frequency in addition to the instantaneous feeder line voltage and
phase angle signals to obtain the voltage phasor magnitude and the
estimated voltage phase.
13. The compensation system of claim 12 wherein the distribution
management system is configured to supply the power distribution
system frequency to the inverter controller through the
communication link.
14. The compensation system of claim 12 wherein the inverter
controller is further configured to derive the power system
frequency using two consecutive voltage phasor estimates.
15. The compensation system of claim 1 further comprising a low
pass filter for obtaining a voltage phasor magnitude estimate from
an instantaneous feeder line voltage measurement; a phase locked
loop for obtaining an estimated voltage phase from an instantaneous
feeder line voltage phase angle measurement; a divider for dividing
the reactive power command by the voltage phasor magnitude to
obtain a reactive current command; a divider for dividing a real
power command by the voltage phasor magnitude to obtain a real
current command; a current magnitude command calculator for
calculating an inverter current magnitude command from the reactive
current command and the real current command; a current phase
command calculator for calculating an estimated current phase from
the reactive current command and the real current command; a
summation element for adding the estimated current phase to the
estimated voltage phase to obtain an inverter current phase angle
command.
16. The compensation system of claim 1 wherein the distributed
energy resource comprises a photovoltaic system comprising a
photovoltaic array.
17. The compensation system of claim 16 wherein the local location
comprises a building and wherein the photovoltaic array and the
inverter are situated outside the building.
18. The compensation system of claim 17 further comprising a
distribution panel and a lockable disconnect, wherein the lockable
disconnect is situated outside of the building and configured for
coupling to inverter to the distribution panel.
19. The compensation system of claim 16 wherein the local location
comprises a building, and wherein the inverter is situated inside
to building.
20. The compensation system of claim 19 further comprising a
distribution panel and a lockable disconnect wherein the lockable
disconnect is situated outside of the building and configured for
coupling the inverter to the distribution panel.
21. The compensation system of claim 20 further comprising an
additional lockable disconnect situated inside of the building and
configured for coupling the lockable disconnect to the distribution
panel.
22. The compensation system of claim 16 wherein the local location
comprises a building, wherein the photovoltaic array and the
inverter are situated outside the building; and further comprising
an energy storage device configured for supplying power to the
inverter when power from the photovoltaic system is insufficient to
meet building load demands.
23. The compensation system of claim 16 wherein the local location
comprises a building, wherein the inverter is situated inside the
building; and further comprising an energy storage device
configured for supplying power to the inverter when power from the
photovoltaic system is insufficient to meet building load
demands.
24. A reactive power compensation method comprising: providing a
distributed energy resource at a local location configured to also
receive power from a remote location by a distribution feeder line,
the distributed energy resource comprising an inverter; and using
the inverter to provide reactive power support to the distribution
feeder line such that reactive power is adjusted in a predetermined
manner to maintain voltage stability associated with the
distribution feeder line.
Description
BACKGROUND
The invention relates generally to distributed energy
resources.
Electric power is delivered to residential consumers through power
distribution systems that typically have radial topologies. In such
power distribution systems, feeders branch out from a substation
and reach a residential consumer through a step down transformer.
Conventional power flow in such axial embodiments is unidirectional
from the substation to the residence.
In a typical radial distribution system, voltage sag (drop) along
the feeder is proportional to the reactive power on the feeder
according to the formula:
.DELTA..times..times. ##EQU00001## wherein .DELTA.V is the voltage
drop, P, Q are the real and reactive power, V is the bus voltage;
and R, X are feeder resistance and reactance respectively. The
resistance R of the feeder line is typically orders of magnitude
smaller than the reactance X. Therefore, the voltage drop on the
feeder line can be depicted approximately as follows.
.DELTA..times..times..apprxeq. ##EQU00002##
For a long feeder line, voltage sag emerges as a significant issue
when the reactive load is heavy. One proposed approach to solve the
problem is to install capacitor banks at the substation or at pole
top capacitors along the feeder line. The theory is that the
capacitance load will offset the reactive power consumption on the
feeder and that the voltage level at the end of the long feeder can
thus be restored. However, this approach often requires extra
capital expenditure by the utility. In addition, the capacitor
banks are typically switched on and off incrementally. Therefore,
continuous coverage of the reactive power compensation can be a
challenge.
With emerging distributed energy resources such as residential
photovoltaic (PV) systems bi-directionality is becoming more
important. As distributed energy resources have increased presence
in power distribution systems, advanced functions will be useful to
leverage these assets. One such functionality which would be
desirable is reactive power (or VAR) support.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a
reactive power compensation system comprises a distributed energy
resource situated at a local location configured to also receive
power from a remote location by a distribution feeder line. The
distributed energy resource comprises an inverter comprising power
semiconductor switching devices and an inverter controller
configured for controlling the power semiconductor switching
devices so as to provide reactive power support to the distribution
feeder line.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a
reactive power compensation method comprises (a) providing a
distributed energy resource at a local location configured to also
receive power from a remote location by a distribution feeder line
and (b) using an inverter of the distributed energy resource to
provide reactive power support to the distribution feeder line.
DRAWINGS
These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present
invention will become better understood when the following detailed
description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in
which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings,
wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a reactive power compensation
system in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a reactive power compensation
system in accordance with a more specific embodiment of the present
invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a reactive power compensation
system in accordance with another more specific embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a reactive power compensation
system in accordance with another more specific embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a reactive power compensation
system in accordance with another more specific embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of switches between a load, a grid,
and an inverter in accordance with another embodiment of the
present invention.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an inverter control algorithm in
accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an inverter control algorithm element
in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a reactive power compensation
system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention,
FIGS. 2-5 are diagrams of more specific photovoltaic system
embodiments, and FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of switches between
a load, a grid, and an inverter in accordance with another
embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in
FIGS. 1 and 6, a reactive power compensation system 10 comprises a
distributed energy resource 12 situated at a local location 14 that
is configured to also receive power from a remote location 16 by a
distribution feeder line 18. Distributed energy resource 12
comprises an inverter 20 comprising power semiconductor switching
devices 22 and an inverter controller 24 configured for controlling
power semiconductor switching devices 22 so as to provide reactive
power support to distribution feeder line 18.
FIG. 1 additionally illustrates an embodiment wherein remote
location 16 comprises a substation which further comprises a
substation transformer 32 coupled via a substation circuit breaker
34 and wherein a feeder 17 couples power from remote location 16 to
distribution feeder lines 18 through step down transformers 19.
FIG. 1 additionally illustrates optional parameter sensors 36,
distribution management system 28, and communication link 30.
In one embodiment distributed energy resource 12 comprises a
photovoltaic system including a photovoltaic array 74 (shown in
FIG. 2). A conventional roof-mounted photovoltaic system typically
includes a photovoltaic panel (not shown), a photovoltaic inverter
(shown by element 20 in FIGS. 1 and 6), a lockable disconnect
(shown by element 46 in FIG. 6), such as a circuit breaker or
transfer switch, to connect and disconnect the inverter from the
feeder line, and optional other features with one example being a
temperature control system (not shown). Although a photovoltaic
system is used for purposes of example, the present invention is
not limited to photovoltaic systems. Other distributed energy
resources 12 that include inverters may alternatively or
additionally be used. Several examples include wind turbines,
batteries, and energy storage devices. Local location 14 may
comprise a residence or commercial establishment, for example.
The embodiments of FIGS. 2-5 illustrate examples of several
photovoltaic system embodiments. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, local
location 14 comprises a building 15, and photovoltaic array 74 and
inverter 20 are situated outside the building. FIG. 2 additionally
illustrates a utility meter 76 coupled to a distribution panel 38
including a circuit breaker 40. Further illustrated are a lockable
disconnect 46 and a DC disconnect switch 78. Lockable disconnect 46
is shown as being situated outside of building 15 and as coupling
inverter 20 to distribution panel 38. The embodiment of FIG. 3 is
similar to that of FIG. 2 except that inverter 20 is situated
inside of building 15. Optionally an additional lockable disconnect
47 is situated inside of the building and couples lockable
disconnect 46 to distribution panel 38. The embodiment of FIG. 4 is
similar to that of FIG. 2 with the addition of an energy storage
device 72 configured for supplying power to inverter 20 when power
from the photovoltaic system is insufficient to meet building load
demands. The embodiment of FIG. 5 is similar to the embodiment of
FIG. 3 with the addition of energy storage device 72.
Referring again to FIG. 6, inverter 20 typically includes hardware
switches (such as power semiconductor switching devices), hardware
control elements which execute control algorithms, and sensors for
parameters such as voltage, current, and temperature. In one local
control type embodiment, inverter 20 comprises a sensor 26
configured for sensing voltage on the feeder line, and inverter
controller 24 is further configured for using the sensed voltage to
calculate an inverter output voltage adjustment designed to provide
the reactive power support. In local control type embodiments, the
inverter monitors voltage and adjusts VAR generation to attempt to
maintain voltage stability. For example, in one embodiment, if
voltage is expected to be 110 volts but is measured as 105 volts,
inverter 20 will incrementally add negative VAR, obtain more
voltage measurements, and continue adjusting VAR until the measured
voltage moves returns to 110 volts.
In another embodiment a distribution management system 28 (FIG. 1)
is configured for providing a reactive power command, and a
communication link 30 is configured for providing the reactive
power command to inverter 20. In a more specific embodiment,
distributed energy resource 12 comprises a plurality of distributed
energy resources, and distribution management 28 system is
configured for providing a plurality of respective reactive power
commands.
Communication link 30 may comprise either a unidirectional (from
distribution management system 28 to inverter) or a bi-directional
communication link. Communication link 30 may be selected from
links such as telephone lines, cable modems, wireless networks, and
power line carriers for example.
Whether a unidirectional or bi-directional communication is used,
in multiple distributed energy resource embodiments, distribution
management system 28 may be further configured for establishing the
plurality of reactive power commands to respective inverters. In
one embodiment, distribution management system 28 establishes the
commands by using information about voltage sensed on feeder 17,
the impedance on feeder 17, how many inverters 20 are on the
feeder, and the inverter capacity. In bi-directional embodiments
information about which inverters are in an "on" state is
additionally useful for distribution management system 28. In one
such embodiment, the inverters each supply an operational status
signal to the distribution management system. Other signals which
may optionally be supplied include amount of VAR being generated
(actual capacity), voltage at the inverter connection, and current
at the inverter connection. If inverters 20 provide feedback to
distribution management system 28, distribution management system
28 can optimize the reactive power commands. For example, if one
inverter is down, distribution management system 28 can calculate
the commands based on the reduced number of inverters.
FIG. 6 additionally illustrates a distribution panel 38 with a
plurality of circuit breakers. Circuit breaker 40, in one
embodiment, is coupled through lockable disconnect 46 to inverter
20. Circuit breakers 42 are coupled to other appropriate loads 44,
for example. When circuit breaker 42 and lockable disconnect 46 are
"on" such that inverter 20 can be used in a way to act as a
capacitor for VAR support, the voltage level of feeder 17 can be
maintained and capacitor banks at remote location 16 (shown as a
substation in FIG. 1) can be reduced and sometimes eliminated.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an inverter control algorithm in
accordance with another embodiment of the present invention wherein
compensation system 10 is further configured with a processor
(shown as current and phase angle command generator 68 in FIG. 7
for purposes of example) for: using instantaneous feeder line
voltage and phase angle measurements to obtain a voltage phasor
magnitude and an estimated voltage phase (at phasor measurement
block 50); dividing a reactive power command Q* by the voltage
phasor magnitude to obtain a reactive current command I.sub.q* (at
divider 52); dividing a real power command P* by the voltage phasor
magnitude to obtain a real current command I.sub.d* (at divider
56); calculating an inverter current magnitude command i* from the
reactive current command and the real current command (at
conversion function 54); calculating an estimated current phase
from the reactive current command and the real current command (at
conversion function 58); and adding the estimated current phase
.phi. to the estimated voltage phase {circumflex over
(.theta.)}.sub.g (at summation element 60) to obtain an inverter
current phase angle command .theta..sub.i*. Feeder line voltage
measurements are typically raw data measurements from sensor 62 of
instantaneous voltage (v) and phase (.theta..sub.g) on the phase
lines between inverter 20 and grid 48. Processor 68 may be situated
either within inverter controller 24 of inverter 20 or outside of
inverter 20. In either embodiment of FIG. 7, inverter controller 24
uses the inverter current magnitude command i* and the inverter
current phase angle command .theta..sub.i* to set the commutation
commands for inverter power semiconductor switching devices 22
(FIG. 6).
In the example of FIG. 7, conversion function 54 obtains the
inverter current magnitude command i* by taking the square root of
the sum of the squares of the real and reactive current commands,
and conversion function 58 obtains the estimated current phase by
obtaining the inverse tangent of the reactive current command
divided by the real current command.
Any one of a number of appropriate techniques may be used at phasor
measurement block 50. For example, voltage may be estimated by the
following equation:
.times..times..function..DELTA..times..times.e.times..times..pi.
##EQU00003## wherein V represents the voltage phasor estimate, N
represents the number of samples per cycle,
.DELTA..times..times..times..pi..omega. ##EQU00004## and represents
the sampling time step; and .omega. represents the power system
nominal frequency (which is 377 radians per second in the United
States).
During off-nominal power system frequency events, the "true" phasor
may be derived from the phasor estimate with the relationship
between the two being expressed by the following three
equations:
.times..function..pi..DELTA..omega..omega..function..pi..DELTA..times..ti-
mes..omega..omega. ##EQU00005##
.function..pi..DELTA..omega..omega..function..times..pi..pi..DELTA..times-
..times..omega..omega. ##EQU00005.2## wherein V represents the
actual voltage phasor value, V* represents the conjugate of the
actual voltage phasor, A and B represent compensation coefficients,
.DELTA..omega.=.omega..sub.g-.omega. and represents the frequency
deviation, and .omega..sub.g represents the actual frequency of the
power distribution system.
By rearranging the above equations, the following equations can be
derived:
.times. ##EQU00006## ##EQU00006.2## wherein C and D represent
compensation coefficients which can be approximated via a Taylor
expansion such as the following
.apprxeq..pi..DELTA..times..times..omega..omega. ##EQU00007##
.apprxeq..DELTA..omega..omega..DELTA..omega..omega. ##EQU00007.2##
Thus, the voltage magnitude and phase angle may be derived if the
frequency of the power distribution system is known and, in one
embodiment, processor 68 is configured for using a power
distribution system frequency in addition to the instantaneous
feeder line voltage and phase angle signals to obtain the voltage
phasor magnitude and the estimated voltage phase.
In embodiments wherein distribution management system 28 is used,
distribution management system 28 may measure the frequency of the
power system with sensors 36 (FIG. 1), for example, and supply the
power system frequency value through communication link 30. In
other embodiments or, if desired in distribution management system
embodiments, the power system frequency may be derived.
One way to derive the power system frequency is to use two
consecutive voltage phasor estimates. In this embodiment, the
voltage phase estimate is calculated every half cycle as
follows:
.function..times..times..times..times..function..DELTA..times..times.e.ti-
mes..times..times..pi. ##EQU00008## wherein m represents the half
cycle index. The frequency estimation is derived as:
.function..function..function..times..omega..function..omega..omega..pi..-
function..function..function..function..function. ##EQU00009##
wherein .omega..sub.g represents the frequency estimate. The phase
measurement is then compensated as follows:
.DELTA..omega..function..omega..function..omega. ##EQU00010##
.function..pi..DELTA..omega..function..omega..function..DELTA..omega..fun-
ction..omega..DELTA..omega..function..omega. ##EQU00010.2## From
there, the voltage magnitude |v| and phase angle .omega..sub.g are
calculated:
.function..function..function..function. ##EQU00011##
.theta..function..function..function..function..function.
##EQU00011.2## The phase angle is calculated with reference to the
sampling frame and, in this example, is only updated every half
cycle (for United States power applications, this is typically
every 8 milliseconds). In order to use the phase angle in the
inverter reactive power control, in one embodiment, a precise time
instance is selected for calculating the phase angle. In another
embodiment, the phase angle is calculated and used in combination
with the power system frequency to derive the phase angles in
between the calculated phase angles.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an inverter control algorithm element
in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention
which is similar to the embodiment of FIG. 7 except that a zero
crossing detection phase locked loop is used instead of a phasor
measurement block to obtain estimated voltage phase {circumflex
over (.theta.)}. The voltage phasor magnitude in the embodiment of
FIG. 8 is obtained from the instantaneous voltage obtained from
sensor 62 at the peak voltage phase angles
.theta..+-..pi. ##EQU00012##
More specifically, in the embodiment of FIG. 8, processor 70
comprises: a low pass filter 66 for obtaining a voltage phasor
magnitude estimate from an instantaneous feeder line voltage
measurement; a phase locked loop for obtaining an estimated voltage
phase from an instantaneous feeder line voltage phase angle
measurement; a divider 52 for dividing the reactive power command
by the voltage phasor magnitude to obtain a reactive current
command; a divider 54 for dividing a real power command by the
voltage phasor magnitude to obtain a real current command; a
current magnitude command calculator 54 for calculating an inverter
current magnitude command from the reactive current command and the
real current command; a current phase command calculator 58 for
calculating an estimated current phase from the reactive current
command and the real current command; and a summation element 60
for adding the estimated current phase to the estimated voltage
phase to obtain an inverter current phase angle command.
While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated
and described herein, many modifications and changes will occur to
those skilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that
the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications
and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention.
* * * * *